Myanmar authorities request monastery trustees to control monks

Mizzima News, November 1, 2007

Yangon, Myanmar -- Following a monk protest on Wednesday in Pakokku, in central Burma, authorities called the town's monastery trustees and requested them to control monks from staging more protests, a local monk said.

Thein Swe, chairman of the Township Peace and Development Council, on Wednesday afternoon summoned the monastery trustees, who comprise the managing committees of the monasteries, and asked them to control the monks from protesting, said the monk.

"The chairman mainly requested the Gawpaka (trustee committee) to stop the monks and control them from conducting another protest," said the monk, who declined to be named for fear of reprisal.

On Wednesday 73 monks in Pakokku openly defied the Burmese military junta by staging yet another protest rally. The protest is the first following the junta's brutal suppression of peaceful monk-led protests in September.

Authorities feared that yesterday's protest by the monks might gain momentum, with more monks joining in, and that it would spread to other parts of the country and ignite yet another nationwide monk-led protest, said the local monk.

However, monks in the four big monasteries in Pakokku seem to be determined to continue the protests, though their next actions remain uncertain, added the monk.